Jean-Claude Marsanne, Syrah, Saint-Joseph Rouge, Northern Rhône, France 2020

100% Syrah

Violets, tapenade, and juicy black fruit.

From the lieux-dits Chalaix, Les Côtes, Paradis, Montagnon, Les Oliviers, Saint-Joseph, and Cotes des Rivoires. Grapes are 100% destemmed and fermented in stainless steel tanks. Aged for 12-15 months in 600L demi-muids (70-80%) and 228L barrels (20-30%). Minimal sulfur added after malolactic fermentation is complete.

The Marsanne family, as their name attests, has a long and deep-rooted history in the northern Rhône, in particular around Mauves, the birthplace of the Saint-Joseph appellation. In 1920, current owner Jean-Claude’s grandfather, Jean-Pierre, became the first in the family to focus solely on vineyards—no easy task given the impossibly steep slopes of Mauves, where everything must be worked by hand and pickaxe. 

Jean-Claude took over the estate in 1991 and holds tightly to the traditions of his family. These include farming the steepest parcels by hand, as was done by his grandfather; using indigenous yeasts for slow, natural fermentations, like his father taught him; and aging his wines extensively on fine lees, releasing each cuvée at its most expressive moment.